Grading Michigan State's performance against Notre Dame

Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch grades the Spartans on a scale of 1-10.

OFFENSE: 4

For Michigan State, 496 yards ought to be enough. It might have been if not for three turnovers, all of which led quickly — if not directly — to touchdowns for Notre Dame. Quarterback Brian Lewerke made some NFL throws, zipping passes 20 yards into the chest of receivers. He also made more than a few throws that didn’t give his receivers a chance, including the telegraphed pick-six interception intended for Darrell Stewart. MSU ran the ball well at times, mostly with LJ Scott. But Scott’s third fumble of the season, just before crossing the goal line in the second quarter, was a game-changer the Spartans couldn’t recover from.

The good: Four receivers caught at least four passes and Lewerke completed 31 of his throws.

The bad: He attempted 51 passes and much of his 340 yards came late, when passing was the only option. Fifty-one passes isn’t MSU’s path to victory.

DEFENSE: 4

The Spartan defense is only responsible for about 24 of Notre Dame’s 38 points. This unit played well enough to win, if the offense had played relatively mistake-free. But part of being a winning team is playing complementary football. MSU’s defense didn’t step up when its offense really needed it — after fumbles by Brian Lewerke and LJ Scott.

The good: MSU recorded a sack, another by Chris Frey who’s off to a terrific start to this season, and heads didn’t drop the way they did a year ago when something went wrong.

The bad: Notre Dame had three rushers average at least 5 yards per carry, Irish QB Brandon Wimbush was made to look like an efficient passer, and Notre Dame converted 8 of 14 third downs and scored touchdowns on all four trips inside the red zone. That’s too much bad.

SPECIAL TEAMS: 6

MSU’s two primary specialists were outstanding. Punter Jake Hartbarger averaged 49 yards on three punts and twice came close to pinning Notre Dame deep. Kicker Matt Coghlin drilled his first field-goal attempt of his career, connecting from 40 yards out. The issues were in coverage. That began with Brett Scanlon, who didn’t record a touchback on any of his three kickoffs deep. Notre Dame’s C.J. Sanders had two good returns, including one of 38 yards. MSU’s own return game was OK, but never looked on the verge of breaking anything.

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COACHING: 5

I questioned the decision to leave Brian Lewerke in late, risking injury to the most important player on MSU’s roster, until I heard Mark Dantonio’s explanation. He wanted his young quarterback to keep learning with each play and to keep competing until the end. I can understand that. It’s hard to out-coach three turnovers. The offense moved fairly well and didn’t seem overly predictable. The defense was active and sometimes disruptive. The biggest area that falls on the coaches is that MSU was too often undisciplined, including nine penalties for 97 yards.

BOTTOM LINE

The Spartans are 2-1 entering Big Ten play, knowing they can compete. They should also know that if they play like they did Saturday night, they could lose their next seven games. MSU’s margin of error is likely to be slim all season. They tested those margins Saturday night and learned just how slim they are.